In a nutshell, although it is generally accepted by its indigenes that the history of Igarra started from Idah (Igala), however, ever since the disruption of the otherwise well-ordered legato of 'traditional ruler ship some 70 years up the mountains before the descent to the plains in 1910, arising from the several divides that the kingdom was thrown, some of the divides, especially the Eziezu Group, finds it convenient to start their narrative of Igarra history from the colonial regime which is quite false, as Igarra had exited for centuries before then.
There is no doubt that Igarra has a background history of migration which mainstream professional historians affirm was led by OHIMI the son of a former Ata that is a Prince of Idah and that the journey took off about the year 1750.
The journey which Ohimi led from all indications had no destination in view and consequently resulted into various settlements such as Koton Karfi, Panda, Igu, Ebiraland etc. while he (Ohimi) led the last batch to a place previously unknown which became known as Igarra in reference to Igala.
Ohimi arrived Igarra with a number of families of which 14 families remain, including the family which he belonged called Eshimozoko Family and the only one in Igarra that claims him.
Ohimi is described as a colonist by historians. They saw him live, robust and enterprising.
On arrival at the last bus stop, the Igarras were said to have met two separate aborigines named Anafua and Aniva both of which established their individual kingdom on the same land with each practicing their customs and traditions.
Ohimi and his followers were accommodated by the aborigines who gave them a portion of the space as their kingdom.
Legends have it that the 3 kingdoms co-existed for about 150 years, independent of each other before a misunderstanding came that resulted in the annihilation of the aborigines by the Igarra.
Ohimi was reported to have come with some royal relics from Idah and acquired others on their emigration journey.
It is disheartening that the grandsons of Ondoma Odajireyi who were sons of his five daughters which he (Ondowa) appointed as Otarus (priests) to replace the 7 Eshimozoko Otarus that died mysteriously, out of fear of being sacked by the new Ohimi, disrupted the installation of the new Ohimi to sustain their Otaruship profession. Good a thing however, they never proclaimed any of the masterminds Ohimi Onayinmi, the title of an Igarra King.
It is reprehensible what the Eziezu Group members did at the descent who went to the colonial masters to lie to them that the Otaru was the traditional ruler of Igarra from time immemorial — thus betraying their ancestors who as loyalist of Ohimi who by that dedication left all their fortunes in Idah to follow their hero to the unknown!
Of all the known names in Igarra, only the following are mentioned in key history books:
(i) OHIMI (Oshemi) — Prince, Leader, Colonist.
(ii) ASHADU (Oshidu) — Kingmaker, Lord Chamberlain.
(iii) OSHIMDASHI (Oshemdase) — Chief Priest (In Ebiraland).
The under-mentioned constituted Palace Officials:
(i) Otarus — Spirituals
(ii) Town Criers — Information.
(iii) Security Men — Peace.
(iv) Buglers — Herald.
(v) Drummers — Entertainment.
(vi) Eulogy — Praise.
In all of the above, where is the much trumpeted "Otaru Ariwo Ovejijo" in Igarra polity that is, the organized ruler ship or governorship of the society? In mention among the polity are: Ohimi (Oshemi) for kingship, Ashadu (Oshidu) representing the Igala Mela i.e. the 10 Family Heads of Igarra.
Being technocrats, no Otaru- can aspire to become a member of the prestigious Igarra Council of Family Heads known in Igala Kingdom as Igala Mela, except via a family headship.
Igarra people need to understand these intricacies very well, particularly members of the Eziezu Group of Families whose knowledge of Igarra history begins from the arrival of the colonial masters i.e. at the threshold of the 20th century whereas Igarra had existed and settled down up the mountains centuries before the advent of the white men.
"Otaru Ariwo Ovejijo" was manufactured and fielded as Igarra's founder and King by the Eziezu Group to coincide with the E.C. Halim Commission of Inquiry of 1968 or thereabout. There has never been an Otaru Ariwo Ovejijo in all of Igarra's history. The nomenclature is not only foreign to Igarra but strange?
The term Eziezu Group has to do with trade unionism - a group formed to protect the Otarus and their professional practice which the then existing 5 Otaru¬grandsons of Ondoma Odajire formed in panic with the support of members of the 5 families they descended from viz: Andede, Andiba, Eshinagada, Eshinavaka and Eshinogu; believing that the chosen successor to their grandfather, Kanawa was against the appointment of non-Eshimozoko Family men as Otarus — a position' of trust strictly reserved for Eshimozoko Family men suspectedly because of the aspect of its spiritualism.
Inquiries & Court Cases: Were all a hoax. E.C. Halim Commission of Inquiry of 1968 was particularly notorious. Halim Commission told deliberate lies on witnesses such as asserting that J.A. Sanni admitted under cross-examination that Otaru was the title of the traditional ruler of Igarra when infact it was the very gravamen of Eshimozoko Family's complaint against the Otaruship title. Halim did not state what led to such a fatuous admittance!
The same Commission failed to record the support and approval the evidences of Yaya and J.D. Daniyan of Eshinavaka and Ezioga (Ezidowo cluster 1of families) respectively gave in support of Eshimozoko Family's version of the time-honoured Town Crier's Code of broadcast that greeted the Oshemi Onayinmi three consecutive times before greeting other dignitaries once each, of which no Otaru was to be recongized.
Halim Commission also failed to visit Eshimozoko Family's demonstrable royal relics but did that of the Eziezu Group whereas the two contestants to Igarra traditional ruler ship applied for the visits, thus denying Eshimozoko Family a fair hearing!
On the judicial platform, Justice David Akenzua, now demised, presiding over Igarra High Court, openly exhibited his support for the Eziezu (Otaru) Group by bullying and threatening the opponents of the Eziezu Group in the case: Jimoh Opatewa and 5 others with imprisonment while the case was in progress before him.
Aba Festival: There is nothing much against the Aba Festival which is a purely social festival except for some aspects of it which are being deliberately involved in Igarra's traditional ruler ship which is purely and rightly derived from the IGALA MELA COUNCIL — a dynastic system of ruler ship that should be spared any form of pollution.
To the Igarra, the alien Aba festival has no known intrinsic value of either color or purpose, but a mere glittering ephemerally.
But not all that glitters is gold.